The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-04-16
A Necessity from Which Few Heiresses
Suffer,

that of dying unmarried for want of of
fers, was plaintively put by somebody
last week, who wrote a notice of Miss
Catherine Wolfe's life and death. Miss
Wolfe was the richest of single women
in this country, but not only that
most generous everything as freely as
man. 1t was not, said the ingenious
narrator. who has apparently been dozing
since 1861, mot by reason of necessity
that she never married, for she had of,
fers from persons who did not know her,
including some clergymen." The un.
conscious satire of the writer does not
fall upon the suitors, SO much as upon
himself, on those lingering views and
estimates of an earlier day, expressed by
that word necessity" We all know
that great many women are married
from necessity, because they cannot
help it, because they want a comrads for
lite, or care takeI, or an establishment,
or provlder, or partner. The judy
ment OF thirty years ago certainly main
tanned that no woman ever earned money
or remained single, except for necessity
i'll both cases Did bright young girl,
in apparently comforta BILE circumstances,
undertake to teach, or sing in church
choir, or sell fancy work. instantly
the questioning went round: rs it nee
essary?' which meant, has bankruptcy
set in OF heavy losses to brothers, fathers,
uncles and ali male relatives? Also, when
girl, rich or humble, did not change
her name Or had not changed it by
twenty-five, it was society's Judgment
that this, too, was the result of necessity
and not of free will. A few romances
were allowed to count for reasons
faithfulness to the early dead, or when a
mischief makers WORK had parted two
agreeing souls. But tor the main body
out with the catalogue-a mark set
against your name, Mistress Sally or
Lilly or Nancy, relegated TO spinster-
hood because nobody offers to save. If
the poor creatures were very pretty,
they were sometimes accused of having
gone through the whole wood to find
only crooked stick at last, which meant
that they were perchance difficult; said
mo- to the first person who asked them
In marriages. most risky, experimental
thing for any but a very pretty girl to do.
The keen observer notes quite another
sign to-day, the number of bright, we'll
favored aud thoroughly independent
young women who are entirely too busy
to plan for marriage. 1t does not enter
into their scheme of life, let US say,
these tantalizingly attractive young per-
sons, who are equally charming in a
circle of women, or men, of metal as at
tractive. They are critical of foolish
men, unsparing of vain ones. Such girls
have not renowned matrimony, they are
simply quite engrossed with a career as
they find it. Now and then a lot is
drawn, and the young woman doctor
marries doctor, the artist finds another
artist, the young writer discovers the
illustrator of her mag azine pages quite
an essential comrade in life, the teacher
takes counsellor at-law. When such
marriages are made, there are few mis-
takes in them, they are cases of good
fellowship that can never be outgIown,
because it springs from character, equal
ambitions, purposes, the marriage of
true minds" to which Shakespeare him
self would not admit impediments."
Nobody would venture to apply the
word necessity" however, to such com
plete single lives as are lived by some
superb women in every American city,
whether capped as a nurse or as a stu
dent, titled as fellow OF young dean or
professor in some woman's college, or
laying the tirmest of white tapering fin
gers on sick child's pulse, pencilling
the prescription, or perched in a lofty
studio looking out over the housetops of
a city. There is necessity that these &C
tive natures, strongly magnetic many of
them, should live their lives and do their
share of the worlds work. They have
fortunes, some of them, or are ready to
take their pay as simply as a man does
for the days work. 1t is not that they
wear their rue with difference" they
don't wear it at all-don't know what
rue is. Their flowers are carnations,
roses, sweet scented, growing, blooming
things. Philadelphia has many such
women. 1t is healthful sign of the
times. When such women marry it is
surer pledge of safety to society than the
hasty little romances that come to the
Divorce Courts So often.
Doing His Duty.